Orient Express SAS

Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express in 1988, renovated into Accor's Orient Express.[1]
Industry	Hospitality
Headquarters	Paris, France
Key people	Omer Acar (CEO Orient Express & Raffles)
Services	Trains, Hotels, Cruises
Owner	SNCF (50%) Accor (50%)
Website	orient-express.com

The Orient Express is a private luxury train service and luxury hospitality company operated by Accor. It will carry passengers between Paris and Istanbul, like the original Orient Express, beginning in 2025.^[2] It will also offer journeys around Italy.^[3]

In 2017, Accor purchased a 50% stake in the Orient Express brand from SNCF for the right to use the name.^[4] In 2018, Accor began renovation work on 17 CIWL carriages from the defunct Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express, which date back to the 1920s and 1930s, to create a modern Orient Express.^[1][5]

Two services will be operated, Central Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechia) and the mythic/original route (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey).^[6] The first service will begin in 2025.^[2] The service has no relation to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which is owned by Belmond.^[7]

A total of six Orient Express La Dolce Vita trains, each accommodating 62 guests, were constructed in Brindisi, Italy. The interiors are inspired by 1960s Italian design. The trains will offer overnight journeys around Italy, with itineraries including Rome, Venice and Portofino.^[3][8][9] The service was first announced in 2021 and was supposed to launch in 2023 but delayed till 2024 and later 2025.^[10] Its inaugural journey will embark on April 4, 2025.^[11]

Private events for up to 62 people can also be reserved, including for weddings and corporate events, with the option to choose custom decor, menus, and itineraries.^[12]

Accor purchased a 50 percent stake in the Orient Express brand from SNCF in 2017 to launch a chain of Orient Express hotels.^[13]

In 2019 it was announced that the first Orient Express hotel would open in Bangkok, Thailand at the King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper.^[14] It was planned to open in 2020 and would have had 154 rooms.^[14] In 2020 Orient Express and King Power mutually agreed to part ways and the Orient Express Hotel Bangkok was cancelled.^[15]

In February 2022 Arsenale S.p.A acquired The Grand Hotel de la Minerva [it] in Rome, Italy.^[16] In July, the opening of an Orient Express hotel in the space was announced.^[16][17] Also in 2022 the opening of an Orient Express at the Palazzo Dona Giovannelli in Venice was announced.^[18] The hotel will open in 2025.

Properties

Name	No. of Rooms	City	Country	Opening	Ref.
Orient Express La Minerva	92 (34 suites)	Rome	Italy	2024	[19][6]
Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli	45	Venice	Italy	2025	[20][6]
Orient Express Diriyah Gate	80	Riyadh	Saudi Arabia		[21][6]
Aqaba Gulf Hotel	Unknown	Aqaba	Jordan	Unknown	[6]
Under negotiation
Unknown	Unknown	London	United Kingdom	Unknown	[21]
Unknown	Unknown	Paris	France	Unknown	[21]
Unknown	Unknown	Istanbul	Turkey	Unknown	[21]
Legend Old Cataract	Unknown	Aswan	Egypt	Unknown	[22]
Winter Palace	Unknown	Luxor		Unknown	[22]

A superyacht cruise line will also be launched under the Orient Express name.^[23] The Orient Express Silenseas will be the largest sailing yacht in the world and services will start in 2028.^[24][25][22] A second yacht has also been commissioned and both will be built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique.^[26]

In 2021 a collection of travel objects called "Steam Dream" launched with pop ups at La Samartaine (a Parisian department store) and the IFC mall in Hong Kong and online. The collection includes items made by Au Départ, Smythson, Cire Trudon, Bernardaud, Duvelleroy and more.^[27][28]

In 2023 in a collaboration with Montblanc they launched a limited edition collection of seven Orient Express themed pens for Montblanc's High Artistry Collection.^[29][30][31]